Ruth's Chris' Ah Cook will have 2 new babies on Dec. 4

PAUL AH COOK, V.P. of Randy Schoch's Desert Island Restaurants which include Ruth's Chris and Romano's, will have a big day on Dec. 4. That's the day his wife Robin is scheduled to have their baby and also the same day a new Ruth's Chris is slated to open in Waikiki. Paul was also busy this week. A Ruth's Chris Steak House opened at the Shops at Mauna Lani on the Big Island Monday after Danny Akaka gave the blessing. And Wednesday was Paul's birthday ...

IT'S NOT EASY for a humor columnist to make me bust out laughing with his writings but Charley Memminger does with some of his columns. And Vernon "Bully" Windrath, my buddy and schoolmate going back to the seventh grade at Stevenson Intermediate, is also a big Memminger fan. Charley's new book, "Hey Waiter, There's An Umbrella In My Drink!", which contains some of his best columns, will be a perfect Christmas gift for Bully and his wife Shirley, who now live in the Bay Area. Andy "Tatami" Bumatai, Tom Moffatt, Michael W. Perry and Paul Theroux sent Charley notes of praise to run in the book. And Wally Amos' foreword is just as good as his original chocolate chip cookies, that says a lot. Meet Charley at Duke's Waikiki Wednesday, 4:30 to 6 p.m., when he holds his book launch party ...

IZ's 'Over the Rainbow' is heard on CBS news

THE LATE Israel Kamakawiwo'ole's recording of "Over the Rainbow" was played on the CBS Evening News Wednesday as anchor Katie Couric named colleagues who have lost their lives covering Mideast fighting. It's amazing how the simplicity of just IZ's clear, beautiful voice and his uke can tug the heartstrings with such power ... World decathlon superstar and Castle High grad Bryan Clay is back in town and has been seen working out at the Honolulu Club ...

Publicist Mona Wood sez, "I celebrated my birthday, 39th yet again, with my main squeeze Max Sword Thursday night at Bali by the Sea at the Hilton." Resort GM Noel Trainor stopped by to wish her well. Randy and Gay Hongo and their son Andrew planned to surprise the couple with a love song but Bible study ran late and they couldn't make it. Good thought, anyway ...

Ben Wood, who sold the Star-Bulletin in the streets of downtown Honolulu during World War II, writes of people, places and things in our Hawaii. E-mail him at bwood@starbulletin.com